This little guy was laying unresponsive from poisoning in a local landfill, but fortunately for the 7-month-old bald eagle, landfill workers discovered him and rescued him. He was treated by a team of veterinarians and wildlife rehabilitators for a full a recovery, allowing the folks of the Wildlife Center of Virginia to release him back into the wild less than two weeks after he was found.

The release was open to the public and a crowd of about 75 showed up to hear about the history of the bald eagle in the United States, the conservation efforts to bring them back after their severe decline, and of course, to see this symbol of America be released back into the world. Seeing this powerful and large bird of prey up-close was pretty magnificent, and the release was quite dramatic and moving. Ohhhs and ahhhs and gasps came from the crowd as the bird was thrust into the air, finally able to spread it's huge wings to fly away and over the trees.